Keeping Control
by FlamingFiction
Summary: The sequal to Fake-A-Smile's taking control. Harry Potter finds himself fighting for his freedom, and his life. Will his two supposed best friends side with him? Or will they continue to oppose him? As Voldemort gathers his troups, Harry has to gain as many friends as he can.


**Author's Note:** This is the sequal to Fake-A-Smile's "Taking Control". I cannot thank him enough for allowing me to do this, and as a result I will post the links to "Taking Control" and his own sequel, "Free Life" at the bottom of the chapter. Enjoy reading this chapter, and please leave a review.

 **Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros. I in no way claim ownership of any rights to the Harry Potter Universe.**

 **Chapter 1: A Little Firework Show**

Harry sat up in bed, broken out of his reverie by a tapping on his window and a voice in his mind saying, _Harry, I've got mail. Come on now, get up and let me in._ Harry sighed and got up, walking over the window to open it. _Alright, Hedwig. Alright._ He shot back at the owl. Ever since he had been able to fully transform into his owl animagus, he had been able to communicate with owls with what Hedwig called mindspeak. He opened the window for his slightly irate owl, and asked, "You want a treat?"

 _Yeah, sure._ Came the reply, so Harry went over to the other side of his bedroom to fetch them. He threw one over to Hedwig, who caught it in her beak. "Good catch!" Harry exclaimed, as he smiled at his long-time friend and pet. _Thanks._ She sent, clearly quite pleased with herself.

Harry got the letter off her outstretched leg, and almost dropped it again in shock. It was from Hermione. He stared at it for what must have been a minute before Hedwig shook him out of his stupor by sending, _You might want to think of opening it._ Harry rolled his eyes at her, and slit open the letter to find Hermione's incredibly neat handwriting.

Dear Harry

I was writing this letter to ask whether the HA will be continuing this year. I would like it to, but I understand that after the end of last year it might be difficult for you to continue teaching.

Okay, you saw right through that didn't you? My purpose in writing this letter to you was to apologise, for everything. I have been in correspondence with Ginny this summer, although she was reluctant to start. She has made me see what an arrogant little bitch I was last year. I know you probably won't forgive me straight away, but I hope this letter will at least get us started on the right road again. I really hope you are coming back to Hogwarts this year, I really miss you. I couldn't live with myself if I was the one that stopped you coming back and finishing your education.

I really do hope you're well and that you can even think of forgiving me. If you want to send a reply you can, you know where I live, but if you don't I'll understand. I never knew you were talking to Ginny about your troubles that much. Don't worry, she hasn't told me any of your secrets, she says that's for you to tell me, and I agree. That is, if you ever want to tell me.

I really do miss you Harry,

Hermione

P.S. I don't know where you are right now, so I've told this owl to try and find Hedwig.

Harry looked up from the parchment, smiling. If anyone could convince anyone of anything, it was Ginny. He was glad that she and Hermione had begun talking over the summer, even though he knew exactly why Ginny had been reluctant. He was also glad that there was the prospect of him getting one of his oldest friends back. Hermione hadn't been the same the previous year. Whether that had been jealousy of Harry doing better than her in classes, or frustration at him not telling her his secrets, he did not know.

He walked out of his bedroom and walked to the kitchen, it may have been the middle of the night, but Harry was hungry. It had been an eventful day that day for sure. He was happy though, every single person he had taught today had been able to cast a corporeal patronus. That was something to be proud of as a teacher. He sat down at the table in the kitchen eating the sandwich he had instinctively made when he felt it, an instinctive feeling. A feeling he could not explain, but knew to be true. Ginny was in trouble.

Oo0oOo0oO

 **G** inny woke up with a start. She reached up to her forehead, wiping away the sweat that had built up. She had been having a nightmare about Harry, again. She got out of bed and stood up, still exceeding groggy, to find out what had woken her from her slumber. She walked over the window and looked out. She couldn't see much, because her eyes were too bleary, but she thought that she could see a certain spot of air moving. 'Must be my imagination' she thought.

Come to think of it, there had been a lot of that going around lately. Just the other day she had thought she had seen a black streak flying past her window. It had looked like some kind of bird, but when she had asked her mother about it, she had replied, "No owls have come in today, dear. I haven't seen any other kinds of birds around either. Can you tell Ronald that I've washed his socks, he is awful your brother." So, Ginny had retired to her room, not before yelling at her brother to go downstairs, of course. Owls were the only animals that could get in through the wards, so she must have been seeing things. She vowed to put it out of her mind, she had had a fleeting hope that maybe, just maybe, Harry had come to talk, or something else. Ginny didn't need any excuse, she just wanted to look into his startling green eyes again, but he needed to stay on the down-low, she knew that much.

She stepped back away from the window, intending to get back into her warm bed, when a bright flash and a loud band punctuated the formerly dark, quiet atmosphere. She staggered backwards, rubbing her eyes. 'What the hell was that?' She thought. She ran back towards the window and looked out again. She looked out, and there was a sickly green light. It seemed to be getting closer and closer. Ginny dived out of the way, just in time. She looked back up to see the green light hit the opposite wall. The wall burst into flames. Ginny shot back up and raised her hand. She felt the magic coursing through her veins, and then a steady stream of water was rushing from her fingertips towards the fire that was spreading quickly. It hit the flames with a hiss, putting them out immediately.

Ginny got up, coughing through the smoke, and rushed to the door. She pushed it open, shouting as she went. "Death-Eaters, Death-Eaters are here! Wake up!" She heard bumping from above, and then Ron appeared on the landing. "What the bloody hell are you yelling about?" He asked, clearly still drowsy. "There are Death-Eaters at the front door Ron!" Ginny shrieked. Ron seemed to snap out of his stupor immediately, "Death-Eaters, bloody hell. I'll get Mum and Dad." He rushed up the stairs, yelling for his mother and father. There was a crash from underneath her, and Ginny smelt smoke. There was nothing for it, she started down the stairs.

Brandishing her wand as she ran, Ginny hurtled down the steps. She burst into the kitchen, taking her opponents by surprise. There were six of them. Standing in the kitchen; their menacing, black robes in utter contrast to the bright orange-red light that the fire outside created. Without any thought Ginny sent one stunner out of her wand and another from her other hand. In the previous school year, Harry Potter had taught her to perform magic wandlessly. She was still more skilled with a wand, however. Her stunners hit their targets without giving them a chance to react. Two of the Death-Eaters crumpled to the ground, the other four raised their wands.

Ginny dived for cover. Spells were flying everywhere. The cover which she had chosen to dive behind was the old table, which often bore home to Molly Weasley's fabulous cooking. Although, Ginny thought it might not be able to undertake such a task if the Death-Eaters upheld their constant barrage of spells.

Ginny could recognise several of the curses that were constantly being sent her way. The two that alarmed her most where the sickly green and the orange-red spells that were the killing and cruciatus curses respectfully. Every once in a while she tried to send a few spells back at her opponents, to no avail. It was only when a sickly green spell ricocheted off the table she hid behind and narrowly missed a cage home to her beloved cat, Emerald, that she acted. Seeing something she loved so much come so close to death, it made her see red.

She launched out from behind the table sending all the curses and hexes she knew out of both her wand and her hand. The Death-Eaters, taken by surprise, were forced out of the kitchen into the garden.

Ron, Molly and Arthur Weasley came out into the yard to help, but Ginny shrieked, "STAY BACK!" The three newcomers to the battle stood there in shock until several spells came their way, forcing them to duck behind the stone wall.

There was a screech from above, immediately followed by a black blur flying at one of the Death-Eaters. As it passed by the Death-Eater it left an evidently deep gash on his face. The Death-Eater yelled out in pain, and put his hands to his face.

This was exactly the distraction Ginny needed. She flung all manner of curses at the distracted Death-Eater with her wand arm, whilst keeping up a shield with her other. Every single curse found their mark. The unfortunate Death-Eater was lifted into the air, jerking uncontrollably, and thrown 10 feet backwards across the garden.

The black blur came round again, but instead of going for another Death-Eater, it went for Ginny. At the last moment, it transformed into a human. This human had dark brown eyes, short light brown hair and an expression of determination. He was standing beside Ginny and she somehow felt more comforted, even though he hadn't said a word. He turned his attention to the shocked Death-Eaters. They began a new barrage of spells, desperately trying to take down their opponents.

The new-comer used a very a similar tactic to Ginny, though she knew that the "wand" he was holding was merely a prop. Silently the two agreed that Ginny would take the one on the right, and the other the two on the left.

Ginny got to work. Holding her shield charm with one hand and sending spell after spell with the other. The Death-Eater was quick, however. He got his shield up in time and ducked behind the shed, sending the odd spell out from behind it. Ginny chuckled, in spite of herself, and ran as fast as she could towards the shed. Holding her shield charm strong, she launched herself around the corner of the shed and fired her carefully picked choice of curse.

She saw the man's eyes widen beneath his mask in surprise, just before the curse hit him. It hit him full in the chest, and he was suddenly engulfed in flames. She watched him stumble around for a moment, attempting to put out the fire that surrounded him. 'Poor guy.' She thought, until she remembered what he was here to do. He would have killed her without a second glance. She sent a stunner from both hands straight at his face. He flew backwards through the air and lay motionless on the ground. The flames, however, continued. Ginny walked over to former opponent and stamped down hard on his face, she felt his nose break under her boot. The flames threatened to climb up her leg, so she refrained from repeating the action. She wasn't prepared to become a murderer, so she extinguished the flames. She did land another stamp on the face though, it felt good.

His wand suddenly flew out of his hand and around the shed. Ginny jumped in shock. She walked out around the shed cautiously, and she sighed a sigh of relief as she saw her ally standing over two motionless bodies with what looked like six wands in his hands. As she watched he snapped them in two.

She walked over to her ally and beamed up at him. "Thanks a lot," she said, still beaming, "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't mad an entrance."

"Oh, don't mention it. How many times have I saved your life now? Four? Maybe five?" He said, grinning widely.

"Shut it!" Ginny yelled, shoving him.

The other three Weasleys appeared from behind the stone wall, Molly was crying with Arthur comforting her, and Ron was looking astounded. "Where the hell did you learn to fight like that!?" He asked, with both amazement and a hint of anger in his voice. "I'll tell you when my teacher says I can." Ginny replied with a mischievous smile on her face, but indignation in her voice. Ron looked like he wanted to say something more, but Ginny got there first. "If you don't mind Ron, I think I should go get Em, and then we should get the hell out of here before more of them," she gestured at the two Death-Eaters, "come to find out what happened to their buddies."

Ginny turned on her heel and ran back into the Burrow, returning a minute later carrying a black cat with startling green eyes.

"Ginny's right Ron," said Arthur, "we should get out of here. Everyone grab onto my arm, I'll apparate us to Fred and George's place in Diagon Alley."

"No," said their mysterious ally, "That'll probably be the first place they'd look. I know somewhere better."

"And who might you be?" asked Arthur Weasley, eying his saviour with blatant suspicion. "It's okay Dad," said Ginny, "you can trust him."

This seemed to be enough for the Weasleys as they one by one thanked their unknown saviour and shook his hand. Mrs Weasley launched herself at him, still crying, and pulled him into a massive hug. "Right," he said, after the pleasantries were over, "I know a safe place. So if you could all grab my arm, I'll apparate us there." They all did as they were instructed, and when they were all holding onto him, he apparated.

They reappeared next to quite a large one story building. Ginny turned around and looked directly at it, but the other Weasleys were looking around at the houses surrounding it. Their saviour realised what was happening and turned to them. He said, very clearly, "I live at 165 Magpie Lane." They all looked at him, then turned their attention to a previously vacated spot. There was now a large one story house occupying it. "Ah, the fidelius charm!" Mr Weasley exclaimed.

"Yes. It was quite tricky to apply, but I managed." Said their saviour, "Now, would you like to come inside?" The Weasleys all nodded and made their way towards the house. Their host opened the door for them and held it so they could pass. When they were all in, he closed and locked the door. He showed them all around the house and when the tour was finished he said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just go and clear myself up. He walked from the living room, into his bathroom. He closed the door behind him and set to work. He removed the brown contact lenses and replaced them with clear ones; he elongated his hair at the top, but left it short on the sides and he removed the charm that made his hair light brown. He looked up into the mirror and saw Harry Potter staring back at him, his startling green eyes shining in the moonlight coming through the window.

He walked out of the bathroom, back into the living room and was met with three gasps. Mr Weasley launched at him, but not in embrace. He raised his wand level to Harry's face and asked, with his voice low and dangerous, "What was the first question, relating to muggles, that I ever asked Harry Potter?" Harry, recovering from his initial shock, calmly answered, "You asked me what exactly the function of a parking meter was." Mr Weasley nodded, and then he pulled Harry into the embrace he had first expected. After a second they broke apart, "Merlin, Harry. It's wonderful to see you." Mr Weasley said, with his voice thick with emotion. "You too, Mr Weasley." Replied Harry, grinning.

It was Mrs Weasley's turn to launch herself at Harry. For the second time that night, Harry found himself at the mercy of Mrs Weasley's tight embrace. She pulled away from him, tears welling up in her eyes, and walked over to her husband.

Ron was staring, open mouthed, at his best friend. "Harry, mate. I knew you could fight, but that was crazy!" He said, clearly awed. Harry just shrugged and glanced at his girlfriend, she was smirking at her family's realisation of who their saviour was. Harry cleared his throat and stated, "You need to get some more sleep, tomorrow we are going to Diagon Alley to talk to Fred and George. We need to tell them what happened, and that they might be in danger." Harry finished and looked around, the Weasleys all nodded. "Great, Mr and Mrs Weasley, you can have the bedroom." Harry held up his hand to silence their protests, "I have somewhere to stay, don't worry about me." He turned to Ron and said, "Ron, you can sleep on the sofa, I'll get a duvet for you now." Ron nodded absent-mindedly, clearly deep in thought. Harry decided to not press it; Ron had had a traumatising night, after all.

Harry told Ginny she could sleep in the study and followed her there. "You really have improved with your spell work, Ginny." Harry stated, looking her in the eye. "Yeah, well. Now the ministry's going to be on my back for using my wand outside of school." She replied, her previous smirk gone.

"Maybe;" said Harry, grinning. Ginny looked questioningly at him for a second, and then shook her head. She closed the gap between them in one stride, and cupped Harry's cheek in one hand. She tilted her head up, and kissed him. Seconds, minutes, maybe even hours passed before they broke apart, but to Harry, it was still not enough. Reluctantly he stepped back, and looked into her beautiful brown eyes. He smiled weakly, what had he done to deserve a girl like that? "It's not polite to stare." Jived Ginny.

"Oh?" Replied Harry, a mischievous smile breaking across his face, "You don't seem to mind too much."

"Hmm," said Ginny, her brow furrowed in mock thought, "maybe I don't." She pushed open the door to the study, and walked through. Harry followed suit, flicking has hand to close the door behind them. Emerald jumped off of the bed and ran at them, mewing as she went. Ginny bent down on one knee, opening her arms to accept her cat, but Emerald ran straight past and jumped into Harry's stretched out arms. Harry smirked at Ginny, then turned his attention to the cat. "Hey Puss-puss," he said in his low, comforting voice, "Look, Gin. She recognises her first, and true, owner." He added this last part with a wink at Ginny. "Traitor." She huffed, getting back to her feet. Harry put the purring cat down and waved his hand, conjuring a king-sized bed for her. She sat down on it for a moment, looking thoughtful, she then decreed, "It's comfy."

"Phew!" Harry exclaimed, in mock relief, "I cannot imagine the shame that would befall me if the bed I presented was not satisfactory." Ginny rolled her eyes at him and lay back. "May I ask why you followed me into my personal chambers?" She asked in a voice riddled with authority.

"Forgive me, milady," He gestured to a redwood trunk in the corner of the room, "Those are my quarters for tonight." Ginny nodded in mock thought,

"I suppose I can put up with you, on one condition." She said in mock authority, leaving a pause for dramatic effect, "That condition is that you allow me to join you." Harry longed to agree, but knew that it would be a bad decision. "I'm sorry Gin, I can't agree with that tonight. Firstly, your parents are in the house. Secondly, you need rest." After he finished, he looked apologetically at Ginny. She stared back at him, disbelievingly, for a few seconds; then she rolled her eyes.

Harry woke up early in the morning, as was his routine. He showered and got dressed in his trunk, then climbed out. He was surprised to find Ginny waiting for him, still in her night gown, with Emerald sleeping in her lap. "Waking up early has become a habit for me. Y'know, after all that training we did last year." She explained. Harry nodded, trying to avert his eyes from her rather bare body, "Same here." He said, looking at the ceiling. Suddenly, he realised something. He lowered his eyes to meet hers, and exclaimed, "Merlin! I forgot. You don't have any day-clothes, do you?" Ginny shook her head. "Alright then," Harry said, "when I go out, I'll get you all some."

Harry left the room, heading for the door, when he ran into someone unexpected. "Ron!" Harry shouted as Ron tapped his shoulder, "Don't do that to me, I almost had a heart attack."

"Sorry." Ron muttered, "So, where are you going?"

"Out to get stuff for breakfast, and to get you all some day-clothes." Harry responded. He turned around to face Ron, and saw that he was fully dressed. "Went up to my room, and fell straight to sleep." Ron explained, answering Harry's questioning look. Harry nodded, "Want to come with?" He asked. Ron smiled and said, "Sure." So Harry got his wallet and the two of them headed out the door.

As they went, they broke into conversation about Hogwarts. "Did you hear about Professor Caldwell?" Harry asked Ron.

"Nope, what's happened? Got scared off by the one year jinx I expect." Replied Ron, shaking his head. Harry stopped and turned to face his friend, his face sombre. "He's dead, Ron." He said, looking Ron in the eye. Ron let in a sharp intake of breath as Harry continued, "Voldemort finished him off, and his whole family too. Poor buggers." Harry started walking again, but after a few steps he realised his friend wasn't with him. He turned around to face him, and saw his freckled friend's face showing deep concern. "How did you find out, Harry? It wasn't in the Prophet, I've been reading them." Harry felt tears well in his eyes as his answer came, "He made me watch," He said, his voice cracking. "He made me watch as he killed them."

They made the rest of the journey in relative silence, the odd question sometimes being posed, and the answer, always short, being fired back. Eventually, they made it to the shopping centre. They walked into the clothes section and looked around. Harry sent Ron off in one direction to look for clothes for him and Mr and Mrs Weasley, whilst Harry looked for clothes for Ginny. When he found a nice set of workout clothes, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, he met up with Ron again and went looking for some breakfast. They decided on bacon and eggs, with some brioche, and headed home in a much more jovial manner, with the prospect of a good breakfast on the horizon. As they were approaching the house, Ron was telling Harry how he had been running with Ginny in the mornings, which explained why he had been awake so early. He, like Harry and Ginny before him, had gotten into the habit. Harry opened the door and was about to haul his load through, when Ron shut it again. Harry looked at him questioningly. Ron shuffled his feet a bit before starting, "Listen. After watching you and Gin fight last night, I realised something. All those times you two were missing together, you weren't snogging in broom cupboards. You were training." He took in a deep breath before continuing, "I know I was an arse last year, that's probably why you didn't want me joining in, but I've changed, and I was wondering if you'd let me train with you." This last part was blurted out rather quickly, but Harry still understood. He considered his friend for a moment, before saying, "Alright, but don't breath a word to Hermione." Ron nodded and reopened the door.

Oo0oOo0oO

As Ginny walked in, she saw the boys lugging their baggage through the door. She strutted over to them and tapped Harry on the shoulder, "You're a wizard, remember?" She scolded, and Harry looked up.

"Oh yeah." He said, and a moment later the bags were flying two feet above their heads. Ginny gasped and rushed forward. She punched Harry's arm and pointed at Ron; who was staring, open mouthed, from the bags to Harry, and back again. Harry grinned, but kept the bags in the air, "Ah, yes." He said, still grinning, "I should probably tell you, Ron is going to be training with us this year." It was Ginny's turn to stare now. "But, Harry," She spluttered, "what about Hermione?"

"Ron has said that he will not be telling Hermione anything, will you Ron?" Harry said, with an air of finality in his voice. Ron snapped out of his trance enough to say, "Yeah." He started walking around Harry, as if searching. When he finished the circle he concluded. "You're not using a wand." Harry nodded and smiled. "There are a few more things you should know before training with us, but that will have to wait until school." He said, before walking out with the bags suspended above his head. The two remaining people in the room sat quietly for a moment. After what felt like an eternity to Ginny, Ron broke the silence; "You two can do wandless magic." He said. It was not a question, it was a statement. Ginny nodded in response; "Did Harry teach you?" Asked Ron. She nodded again. "Do you think he would teach me?" He asked, after a moment's thought.

"I don't know," Replied Ginny truthfully, "if you earn his trust, I don't see what's stopping him." Ron opened his mouth to speak; but before he could, Harry entered the room. "Fancy breakfast?" He asked them.

"Yeah!" They replied in unison.

It was only when she saw him in the light, that it struck Ginny how different Harry was. He was still holding the same demeanour as the previous year, but his face was different. There were huge bags under his eyes, along with other signs of extreme exhaustion. Her mother seemed to have picked up on this as well, because she kept mentioning it as Harry ladled out bacon to the four Weasleys.

As concerned as she was for Harry, Ginny couldn't help but look down from his face to his slim, fit body. He had definitely been keeping fit. After breakfast was over, she helped him clear up the plates. "How are you feeling?" She asked. She heard the concern in her own voice, but was relieved to see a soft smile on Harry's face, which was reflected in his eyes. He had been good-natured the previous night, but his eyes had been in a permanent state of worry, so this smile he gave her was more reassurance than any words he could have supplied. "I'm fine, Gin. Don't worry yourself."

When they were done with the dishes, Harry handed out the clothes to his guests. Ginny's father was delighted to receive muggle clothing, and thanked Harry profusely; much to his amusement. Ginny, on the other hand, had always preferred them to her wizarding attire, and was pleasantly surprised to find a t-shirt and jeans awaiting her.

After all the clothes were given out, Harry put a disguise on himself and the Weasleys. He then told them that they would be going to Diagon Alley. "We need to alert Fred and George to what happened last night." He instructed, "The order will no-doubt know by now, but they might not have been informed. Whilst we are there, I'm going to give these," He held up a box of necklaces that Ginny knew to be portkeys, "In hopes that they will hand them out to their friends." He then shrank the box, put it in his pocket and grabbed Ginny's hand. "We should go in pairs to avoid suspicion." he stated, "The Death-Eaters want us dead, remember?" Without any warning, Ginny was whisked away into an abyss, which was quickly filled with colour. That had been only her second time apparating, and she couldn't say she enjoyed the experience. She fell against Harry, and felt his hard muscle beneath her. He looked down at her, and she felt her heart warm. A second later, they heard a loud pop, and saw Ron and his mother appear out of nowhere at the other side of the alley. The newcomers spotted their friends and set off at a brisk walk. Harry frantically gestured to not move, the groups needed to stay separated until they reached the shop. It took another few seconds for Arthur Weasley to appear, he made to move towards Harry and Ginny, but they both gestured to him to stay put. Ginny looked around, and for the first time took in the scene. It was sorrowful. The once brightly coloured houses were now dilapidated and worn-looking. The street, previously bustling with happy customers, was now barren. There were a few people dotted around, but they kept there gaze averted and hurried from shop to shop as fast as they could.

The Weasleys and Harry moved in towards their destination from three destinations. Harry reached the door first and held it open for the rest of the party. Ginny went through last, and pecked him on the cheek. She then pulled him through the door, 'always the gentleman.' She thought to herself. When they entered the shop, George ran out from a doorway behind the counter, yelling, "Fred! Customers!"

Ginny felt her heart sink as Fred came rushing through the doorway, a huge smile on his face. She hated to disappoint her brothers. "Actually, no." Harry said, hesitantly. Ginny saw the pained expression on his face and knew he felt the same as she. Then, with a wave of Harry's hand, all the blinds were drawn and the door locked itself. The startled look on the twins' faces quickly subsided as Harry removed the disguises with another wave of his hand. "To what do we owe this pleasure?" Fred questioned.

"Yes, dear brother, I was wondering the same thing. Our wonderful family do not often visit." Continued George

"And Harry, dear." Fred exclaimed, in an excellent imitation of his mother, "Your looking a bit peaky."

Mrs Weasley scowled as everyone else howled with laughter. "Now, onto serious business." Said Harry, still grinning, "Your family were attacked last night." Ginny watched as the grins were wiped off the twins' faces, and were replaced with an expression of shock. "B-but what about the wards?" George stammered. "They must've broken through." Mr Weasley answered with a sigh. The group was consumed by silence for a long moment before Ginny felt she needed to speak up. "We're all okay though. We all made it out." Fred and George gave two weak smiles, and Harry squeezed her hand in comfort. She looked up at him, trying to convey her gratitude without words. He seemed to get the message, because he smiled at her and squeezed her hand again. He then turned to the room asked them, "Shall we go survey the damage?" They all agreed, and a minute later they were at the Burrow.

They all looked the ramshackle house up and down. Ginny let out a sigh of relief, which she could tell reflected the emotions of every one there. It had been dark the previous night, so no-one could see the damage inflicted on the Weasley household. That night everyone had presumed the worst, but the truth was that the damage was not extensive. A few windows were gone, there were burn marks on the walls and the kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off; but the house was still standing. Ginny walked in through the front door and searched through the rubble of the kitchen until she found what she was looking for. Emerald's bed was tattered and dirty, but with a few cleaning charms it was as good as new. Ginny heard Harry enter the room behind her, and turned around. "You made a bit of a mess in here, didn't you?" He said, with a cheeky grin. "Prat." Ginny muttered. She watched as Harry walked around the kitchen, waving his hand over the damaged areas. When he was finished, Ginny looked around in wonder. The kitchen was as clean and whole as it had ever been. In fact, it was cleaner. Everything was spotless; from the walls, which had previously been rubble, to the table that Ginny had shielded behind.

The rest of the Weasleys filed in to the kitchen, each noticing its cleanliness and turning to smile at Harry. "No-one even considered it was me?" Said Ginny, indignantly. "Nah, Sis. You're more a taker than a giver."

"More a destroyer than a creator." Said the twins in turn, grinning at their little sister. They quickly turned their attention back to Harry, however, when the little sister in question glared daggers at them. "Thank you, Harry." Whispered Mrs Weasley; and a second later, Harry was engulfed in one of her signature bone-crushing hugs. "I would ask how you did that so fast, Harry," Started one of the twins, "but we think we have a pretty good idea." Finished the other.

Oo0oOo0oO

Harry spent the rest of the day fixing the Weasley household, and putting wards up. He had become rather adept at casting them; and what took him a week to put up on his own house, he did within twenty-four hours at the Burrow. As he walked into the newly-polished kithen, all of the Weasleys looked up in unison. "Done." Said Harry; a small, exhausted smile gracing his lips. This answered the unasked question on all of their minds. One-by-one all the Weasleys got up to thank Harry, none more so than Mrs Weasley. "Oh, thank you dear!" She all but sobbed into his shoulder. She eventually pulled away, and looked up at him. "Merlin, dear. You look terrible." She said, holding his head in her hands. "Thanks, Mrs Weasley." Harry sighed.

After a hearty dinner, and quite a bit of encouragement, Harry went up to Ron's room for bed. Although he was getting more powerful by the day, the amount of magic he had used today left him drained. He climbed into the bed that he had grown to call his own, after sleeping in it quite a few times over the past five years. It was in Ron's room, of course, but that didn't stop him being a little possessive over it.

Just as Harry was drifting off into what he was sure would be a fitful sleep, he felt another presence on his bed. He was just about to yell at Ron for waking him, when he realised who it was. "Gin?" He asked, confusion obvious in his voice. "Hey Harry." She responded, smiling widely. "Wh't 'r y' doo'ng?" He mumbled, sleepily. She laughed at his inarticulate speech before saying, in a low, seductive voice, "Just saying goodnight." Then she bent slowly over him, and pressed her lips to his. Harry was shaken out of his stupor immediately, and replied to her initial light kiss with a fiery passion.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably only seconds, they broke apart. They both wanted more, but deemed it inappropriate. Ginny lifted herself off of Harry and tiptoed towards the door. When she reached the doorway, waved goodbye to him. When she had gone, Harry lay back in his bed, staring at the ceiling, and sighed. Maybe the night wouldn't be so bad after all.

The following morning, Harry woke up in high spirits. He had just slept better than he had all summer. He sprung down the stairs, looking forward to one of Mrs Weasley's incredible breakfasts. As he entered the kitchen he looked around, and saw a familiar face. He was peering over his half-moon spectacles with his piercing blue eyes. Harry let out a long, meaningful sigh. "Why don't take a seat?" Asked Albus Dumbledore.

 **Thanks for reading! Here are the links, as promised.**

 **Taking Control:** ?page=read &action=readChapter&StoryID=1&ChapterID=15

 **Free Life:** ?page=read &action=readChapter&StoryID=8&ChapterID=45


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